2021 Annual Report of the Access to Medicine Foundation

The Access to Medicine Foundation combines research, insights and dialogue to transform how healthcare companies reach the 80% of people alive today who live in low- and middle-income countries. This latest Annual Report draws together how, in 2021, our different research and engagement activities catalysed industry responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the medical oxygen crisis, as well as other urgent access-to-medicine issues facing vulnerable populations.

New research, deep-dives and targeted initiatives

Through report launches and workshops, the Foundation took a series of focused deep-dives into priority issues in access to essential healthcare. In addition to the launch of new Access to Medicine Index and AMR Benchmark reports, these covered gaps in paediatric R&D, the hurdles facing biotechs active in antibiotics, shortages in medical oxygen, and the pharma industry’s response to COVID-19. The Foundation brought together experts and peers from across industry, global health, and the investor and policy worlds to identify concrete solutions for further action.

Working with investors

In 2021, the Foundation’s long-term work with investors in pharmaceutical companies continued to build, as investors used their collective influence to jointly steer investee companies on access to medicine, AMR, the industry’s COVID-19 response, and the medical oxygen crisis. In addition to the Foundation’s collaborative engagement initiatives, the team supported investors with numerous bilateral inquiries about specific companies’ performances, and the associated risks and opportunities.

Independent evaluation

In 2021, external agency Technopolis Group completed an independent evaluation of the Access to Medicine Foundation’s impact and influence. Evaluators found that the Foundation “has developed from a small initiative into a solid and efficient organisation with a track record of rigorous research and effective change-making,” concluding: “The work of the Foundation has likely already contributed to improve access to medicine for millions of people and also produced millions in cost savings for LMICs."

With the 2030 deadline for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals on the horizon, the Foundation closely examined how its tried-and-tested model for incentivising change in the pharma industry could be expanded to benefit more people. As we go forward, the Foundation’s scope will expand to cover five healthcare sectors: Big Pharma, generic medicine manufacturers, vaccine manufacturers, diagnostic companies, and medical gas companies.